Jane Rule Quotes

Powerful Jane Rule for Daily Growth

About Jane Rule

Jane Rule (September 18, 1931 – October 16, 2007) was a celebrated Canadian lesbian feminist writer, poet, and literary critic, renowned for her groundbreaking contributions to queer literature. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Rule grew up in a conservative Mennonite family but rebelled against their strict values, leaving home at 16. Her early life experiences greatly influenced her writing, particularly her exploration of identity and sexuality. Rule moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, where she enrolled at the University of British Columbia. It was here that she found a supportive community of like-minds, including poets A.M. Klein and Phyllis Webb, and novelist and fellow lesbian writer, Margaret Laurence. Rule's academic journey culminated in a doctorate from Yale University in 1964, focusing on the works of Virginia Woolf, who became one of Rule's most significant literary influences. Rule's first major work was "Desert of the Heart" (1964), a groundbreaking lesbian novel that delved into themes of identity, love, and coming out in the mid-20th century. The book was later adapted into the film "Desert Hearts" (1985). Other significant works include "The Butcher's Wife" (1978) and "Dsona" (1996), a novel that explores themes of memory, loss, and the power of place. Rule was also a prominent figure in the feminist movement, contributing essays to collections such as "The Lesbian Reader" (1973) and "Powers of Desire: The Politics of Sexuality" (1986). Her work has been celebrated for its nuanced exploration of lesbian identity and its significant impact on queer literature. Rule's legacy continues to inspire new generations of writers and thinkers, leaving a lasting mark on contemporary literary landscapes.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"The most profound and potentially most radical impacts of lesbian existence upon our culture and our politics will be in the liberation of our sexuality."

Jane Rule's quote highlights the transformative potential of lesbian existence on society and politics, emphasizing the liberating influence it could have on sexuality. This liberation is not only for lesbians but has the power to reshape societal norms, cultural attitudes, and political landscapes around sexual freedom and self-expression. In this liberation lies a profound and radical change that encourages a more inclusive, diverse, and equal society, where people can embrace their authentic selves without fear or judgment.

"Lesbian is the truth."

Jane Rule's quote, "Lesbian is the truth," can be interpreted as a personal affirmation and assertion of her authentic identity. In this statement, she presents lesbianism not just as a sexual orientation or romantic preference, but as a fundamental aspect of who she is – the unvarnished truth about herself. This quote emphasizes the importance of self-acceptance and honesty in one's own identity, particularly for individuals who identify as lesbian in a society that may be less accepting. It underscores the idea that living an authentic life, being true to oneself, is essential for personal growth and happiness.

"Love between women is the great subversive force of all time, and it has always been so... Love between women, whatever form it takes, is a political act."

This quote highlights that love between women transcends beyond personal relationships and holds significant societal implications. It's seen as a powerful disruptor because throughout history, heteronormative relationships have been the norm, defining social structures and expectations. Love between women, in its various forms, challenges these conventions, thus acting as a subversive force that questions and redefines societal norms. The quote underscores the political nature of such love, suggesting it has long-lasting implications for social change and progress towards greater inclusivity and equality.

"A lesbian is a woman who loves women, not just in the bedroom but in the streets, in the factories, in the churches, in the schools, in the government offices, in the shops and offices of every city and town, and in the hearts of all women; when she sees a woman wronged or oppressed or mistreated, a lesbian is one who stands beside her to help, to support, to aid in any way necessary."

This quote by Jane Rule emphasizes that being a lesbian encompasses more than just romantic or sexual relationships; it's about empathy, solidarity, and action towards women's rights and equality. It suggests that a lesbian is a woman who identifies with other women's struggles and stands alongside them to fight against oppression, injustice, and mistreatment. This quote underscores the importance of allyship and support within the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.

"The most common form of lesbianism, I suspect, will be a kind of political alliance, not unlike the alliances between Black men and women that have been so vital in the struggle for civil rights."

This quote by Jane Rule suggests that she believed that romantic or sexual relationships between lesbians might often arise out of shared experiences and a shared sense of political solidarity, similar to alliances formed among Black men and women during the fight for civil rights. In essence, she's proposing that political activism can foster connections and relationships, particularly within marginalized communities.

I've never been resigned to ready-made ideas as I was to ready-made clothes, perhaps because although I couldn't sew, I could think.

- Jane Rule

Think, Been, Ready-Made, Sew

My private measure of success is daily. If this were to be the last day of my life would I be content with it? To live in a harmonious balance of commitments and pleasures is what I strive for.

- Jane Rule

My Life, Success Is, Private, Harmonious

The message of women's liberation is that women can love each other and ourselves against our degrading education.

- Jane Rule

Love, Other, Degrading, Liberation

Love is the terrible secret people are suspected of unless they're married, then one always suspects they don't.

- Jane Rule

Love, Always, Suspected, Love Is

If the tenth of the population that is gay became visible tomorrow, the panic of the majority of people would inspire repressive legislation of a sort that would shock even the pessimists among us.

- Jane Rule

Visible, Became, Tenth, Pessimists

Human beings tolerate what they understand they have to tolerate.

- Jane Rule

Understand, Human Beings, Tolerate

People genuinely happy in their choices seem less often tempted to force them on other people than those who feel martyred and broken by their lives.

- Jane Rule

Broken, Other, Lives, Tempted

Morality is a test of our conformity rather than our integrity.

- Jane Rule

Integrity, Test, Rather, Conformity

I had always said to myself that forty was the cut off point of my apprenticeship which may for some people sound like a very long one, but the novel as art is a middle-aged art.

- Jane Rule

Some, Always, Which, Middle-Aged

If we don't bear witness as citizens, as people, as individuals, the right that we have had to life is sacrificed. There is a silence, instead of a speaking presence.

- Jane Rule

Right, Had, Individuals, Presence

Morality, like language, is an invented structure for conserving and communicating order. And morality is learned, like language, by mimicking and remembering.

- Jane Rule

Morality, Like, Learned, Communicating

Writing is far too hard work to say what someone else wants me to. Serving it as a craft, using it as a way of growing in my own understanding, seems to me to be a beautiful way to live. And if that product is shareable with other people, so much the better.

- Jane Rule

Own, Craft, Other, Serving

Every artist seems to me to have the job of bearing witness to the world we live in. To some extent I think of all of us as artists, because we have voices and we are each of us unique.

- Jane Rule

Think, Some, Extent, Witness

Coming out, all the way out, is offered more and more as the political solution to our oppression.

- Jane Rule

Solution, Oppression, More, Offered

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